Ornamented stocking



Patented Apr. 7, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE `omvAlmrNrEn sroomNa William H.. Larimer, BurlingtomN. Application-Marshes, 1950,. Serial Nal-.5ans

(ci. se-isoi 2 Claims. 1

ThisA invention relates to ornamented hosiery and; to methods of'producing such hosiery. More specifically, it is concernedA with ornamented half hose or mens stockings having design figures of relatively large areas of diamond configuration,

as. for example, in what are. known as Argyle socks. Authentic hosiery of the kind referred to is expensive due to the necessity for its production, by reciprocatory knitting, on flat knitting machines which are slow in operation and hence restricted in their output.

My invention has for its chief aim to provide ornamented stockings of simpler construction having the design characteristics of real Argyle hosiery, and also to provide an improved method by which stockings so improved can be expeditiously produced in quantity at very much less cost.

I-Iow the foregoing objectives are realized in practice will appear from the following detailed description of the attached drawings, wherein `niig. 1 is a View in side elevation of ornamented stocking conveniently embodying my invention.

Figs'Z and 3 are diagrammatic views in cross section taken as indicated by the angled arrows II-II in Fig. 1 showing the results of successive steps in the production of the stocking.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view drawn to a larger scale showing the construction of the stocking fabric in the region of one of the ornamental design gures; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary View showing, in linear development, a section of needles of circular knitting machines and the manner in which the needles are controlled to determine the formation of the design figures.

The stocking chosen for convenience of illustration in Fig. 1, has at each side of its leg portion L, a diamond gure of relatively large area which contrasts in color from the adjacent areas of the fabric, and so resembles in appearance, a sock of the Argyle type. Except for the formation of the ornamentation, the illustrated stocking may be of the usual seamless construction with an elastic garter top G, and a foot with fashioned heel and toe pockets H and 'I'. To knit the leg and instep portions L and I of the stocking, I employ a main yarn and a contrastinglycolored auxiliary yarn which are respectively designated M and A, in the drawings. While, for the purposes of more ready distinction, these yarns M and A are indicated by light and heavy lines, they may actually be of the same count or weight.

In accordance with my invention, the design iigure areas D in the leg portion L of the sock,

2v see, Fig.. 4, are. constituted .by loops ofl the main yarn alone, while the intervening and. other portions` of the leg L as well as the instep portion I are, formed from bothv yarns, with the loops, of the, auxiliary yarn overlying the loops of the main yarn in plating relation. The color of the auxiliary yarn thus dominates in these plated sections to contrast with the design gures in which only the color of the yarn M appears. Due to the improved method by which the knitting of the sock is carried out as presently explained, floats F (Figs. 2 and 4) of the auxiliary yarn A occur at the inside of the fabric behind the design areas D knitted from the main yarn M alone. These floats I remove by cutting, leaving short ends of suicient length as at F' in Fig. 3 which will effectively resist withdrawal incident to circumferential expansion of the sock onthe leg of the wearer.

The sock can be readily produced on any commercial circular stocking knitting machine having an annular series of needles, at least two yarn feeds, and mechanism capable of selecting individual needles in varying numbers as round and round knitting takes place. In Fig. 5, is shown a portion of the circle of needles of such a machine in linear development. The method followed in determining the formation of design figure at each side of the sock in accordance with my invention is as follows: For the rst course the center needle l of a selective group N assigned for the patterning is relegated to a low level so as to take the main yarn M only, while the remaining needles N' at the higher take both the auxiliary yarn A and the main yarn. At the third course of the ornamental knitting the needle 2 at each side of the center needle l is kept with the latter at the low level to take only the main yarn. This procedure is repeated with addition of end needles to the selective group in every other course of the knitting until the desired maximum width of the design ligure is attained, whereafter the process is reversed by subtraction of end needles from the selective group in every other course to the completion of the gure. As a resultJ the floats F of the auxiliary yarn are gradually increased in length in the first half of each design area, and gradually decreased in length in the other half. In practice the number of needles actually ernployed in each selective group is of course greater than shown in Fig. 5.

It will be readily understood by thosev skilled in the art of seamless hosiery knitting that design gures of large area other than of diamond configuration can be produced in accordance With knit seamless tubular stocking of the Argyle type with a leg portion produced from a main yarn and a contrasting auxiliary yarn, having at opposite sides, relatively large diamond-shaped ornamental areas in each of which the maximum width across corners is at least of quadrant extent, the ornamental areas being constituted by loops of the main yarn only,land the ntervening areas being of reinforced fabric in which loops formed from segments of the auxiliary yarn of progressively varying length overlie the loops of the main yarn in plating relation, with the ends of said segments terminating at the edges of the ornamental areas.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a plain knit, seamless tubular stocking of the Argyle type with a leg portion produced from a main yarn and a contrasting auxiliary yarn, having at opposite sides relatively large ornamental areas, each of Which has a maximum width of at least quadrant extent, the ornamental areas being constituted by loops of the main yarn only, and the intervening areas being of reinforced fabric in which loops formed from segments of the auxiliary yarn overlie the loops of the main yarn in plating relation, with the ends of said segments terminating at .the edges of the ornamental areas.

WILLIAM H. LORINIER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,062,910 Hrner May 27, 1913 1,933,681 Page Nov. 7, 1933 2,516,697 Haddad July 25, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 41,724 Norway Aug. 10, 1925 

